The University of North Carolina, Johns Hopkins University, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Tulane University have formed a consortium, based on over 20 years of research and training collaboration, to launch the Fogarty Global Health Fellows Program (FGHF). This consortium brings together 17 primary research training sites in Africa (Ghana, Malawi, South Africa (2), Swaziland, Uganda (2), Zambia), Asia (Bangladesh, China (3), India, Thailand) and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Peru). Our proposal focuses on more advanced trainees, regional partnerships, multilayered mentoring. Each primary training site has a lengthy history of NIH and US government research funding, training of US and international research trainees, and on-the-ground faculty mentors, many of whom were trained through Fogarty International Center programs. Twelve of the proposed training sites are currently part of the Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholars & Fellows program. We will preferentially recruit advanced post-doctoral researchers from more than 50 T32 training grants at the affiliated institutions in all disciplines of health sciences, as well a early-stage post- doctoral researchers, and doctoral and health science students from Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and Veterinary Medicine at our 4 universities and around the US. Trainees from the international sites will be twinned with US trainees through additional resources including other existing Fogarty training grants and the Gilead Foundation to build research capacity at the sites to which the consortium has long-standing commitment. The areas of research focus include a broad range of topics that are consistent with the NIH Fogarty 2008-2012 Strategic Plan, recognizing the growing importance of non- communicable diseases while continuing the commitment to infectious diseases. Trainee applications will be judged on the quality of the research proposal, their previous track record, and commitment to a global health academic research career. Trainees will be assigned a team of mentors, with at least one senior and one junior mentor, who will closely monitor the progress of the trainee and provide on-site supervision. Drawing on existing linkages between sites and training faculty, we will enhance regional partnerships in order to provide training and guidance for junior mentors. Trainees and their twins will have access to biostatistical and epidemiologic consultation from UNC and Tulane faculty for both data analyses and grant writing purposes as well as supplemental funding for their research from multiple small grant opportunities at UNC. FGHF leverages a unique set of resources, training faculty, and sites in order to directly respond to three of the four Fogarty Strategic 2008-2012 Goals: bridging the training gap, fostering sustainable research, and building strategic partnerships. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Partnership among UNC-CH, JHU, Morehouse and Tulane to provide training in global health research in 17 international sites in Africa (Ghana, Malawi, South Africa (2), Swaziland, Uganda (2), Zambia), Asia (Bangladesh, China (3), India, Thailand) and South America (Argentina, Brazil, Peru) in broad array of communicable and non communicable diseases.